Bovines facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bovinae |
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Bovinae
Gray, 1821
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Bovinae is a group of hoofed animals. They are part of the Bovidae family. This group includes many well-known animals. You might know them as cattle, buffalo, and some types of antelopes.
There are about 26 different species of bovines. They are all herbivores, which means they eat plants. Most bovines enjoy eating grass.
Contents
What Are Bovines?
Bovines are a subfamily of animals. This means they are a smaller group within a larger family. The larger family is called Bovidae. Animals in this family often have hooves and horns.
Bovines are known as even-toed ungulates. This means they walk on two toes that have hooves. They are found all over the world. Many bovines are very important to humans. We get food, milk, and even help with farm work from them.
Types of Bovines
Scientists group animals into different categories. This helps us understand how they are related. The Bovinae subfamily is divided into smaller groups called tribes. These tribes include different kinds of bovines.
Cattle and Buffalo
This group includes many animals you might recognize.
- Water Buffalo ( ) are large bovines. They are often used by people for farm work.
- African Buffalo are strong, wild animals. They live in Africa.
- Domestic Cattle are the cows we see on farms. They give us milk and meat.
- Yaks are shaggy, long-haired cattle. They live in the mountains of Central Asia.
- Bison are also part of this group. This includes the American Bison and the Wisent from Europe. They are large, powerful animals.
Antelopes and Other Bovines
Some bovines are also types of antelopes.
- The Four-horned Antelope is special. It has four horns instead of two.
- The Nilgai is a large antelope from India. It is also called the blue bull.
- The Saola is a rare and shy animal. It lives in the forests of Vietnam and Laos. It was only discovered recently.
- The Kudu and Eland are large antelopes. They have impressive spiral horns.
Some scientists sometimes place the antelope-like bovines into their own subfamily. This shows how scientists are always learning more about animal relationships.
Images for kids
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Bovine skull.
See also
In Spanish: Bovinos para niños
